Spoilers Star Wars: Andor season 2

[pukunui]

I'm not sure if Syril was headed for redemption . . . maybe . . . but once he saw Andor, he lost control and found a target for his rage and horror.

That was such a well-written scene! Syril first got involved with all this Imperial stuff because of Cassian's murders, and then he was there on Ghorman ostensibly looking for "outside agitators" ... he then learns that the Empire has engineered the whole thing and is in the midst of a crisis of faith when he spots the ultimate outside agitator* and just goes berserk!

Only for Cassian, who has never seen or met Syril, to be like WTF?!


*For Dedra, the ultimate outside agitator is Luthen (aka "Axis") but for Syril it's definitely Cassian.

Dedra, we'll have to wait and see, but she was also clearly struggling with what she was a part of, and Syril's rejection of her as a monster drove it home.

As much as I've disliked both characters up to this point, it was emotional watching them struggle through the events of that last episode.

Yes, even though they are both on Team Bad Guy, it was confronting watching Syril choke Dedra. It was masterful writing that got me to feel such discomfort watching two antagonists involved in what was essentially a domestic violence scene.

But thank god Krennic is still so much fun to hate!!!

That scene of him verbally sparring with Mon in Skuldun's relics room was chef's kiss. He's so delightfully smarmy.

 

[briggart]

I think Dedra is panicking because she believed she was in charge, but realized she is a pawn like Syril. They sent somebody who is ostensibly her subordinate, but who is actually calling the shots and she doesn't have a say in the matter. She is clearly being set up as a scapegoat if things go wrong.

On top of that, she lost Syril, first emotionally and then physically. She needs to be in control, but both events showed her she is not as secure as she believed to be, leading to her breakdown. I don't see a deep moral realization of the Empire evil, outside of how that will directly concern her safety.

Syril is outraged when he realizes he's just a pawn and Dedra and Partagaz had been lying to him the whole time, emphasis on "to him". The issue is not that the ISB lied about there being outside agitators, it's that it lied about being interested in outside agitators in the first place. I also feel there was something deeper going on between him and Enza, which impacted his relationship with Dedra. Being in the middle of the Ghorman massacre clearly affected him, but I still don't see him ever getting to a point of joining the rebellion.

 

[MarkB]

Only for Cassian, who has never seen or met Syril, to be like WTF?!

Cassian has met Syril. He held him at gunpoint towards the end of his and Luthen's escape from Ferrix, but to Cassian Syril was just another corporate security guard, not worth taking note of.

 

[pukunui]

Cassian has met Syril. He held him at gunpoint towards the end of his and Luthen's escape from Ferrix, but to Cassian Syril was just another corporate security guard, not worth taking note of.

Right. I couldn't remember if they'd encountered each other then or not - but as you say, Cassian didn't know who he was and clearly didn't recognize him.

 

[Zardnaar]

Poo rolls downhill. Emperor kicks Krennic who kicks it down all the way to the poor bastard sergeant sent out to die.

 

[sevenbastard]

I think Dedra is panicking because she believed she was in charge, but realized she is a pawn like Syril.

That's my take as well. She just saw the big picture and momentarily felt some self doubt.

I don't want her redeemed, I want her to survive so we can get a show with her in it set between new hope and empire.

 

[Reef]

I’m getting a completely different read on Dedra. Which may mean I need to go back and watch it again. But I don’t think she’s panicking, or at all bothered by her role in Ghorman. It’s what she was there to do, she went in with her eyes open, and in fact, the ‘cooperative rebels’ was basically her plan.

I think any hesitation we saw was concern over Syril, and/or shock at his violent reaction. She wasn’t at all concerned with the Ghormans, she was concerned that Syril was out there.

Syril, on the other hand, was truly horrified. I actually believe that if he hadn’t seen Andor, this may have been the moment where he realized he was on the wrong side.

I may be wrong, of course. But I really don’t think we’re going to get any sort of regret or heel-turn from Dedra.

 

[Kaodi]

Syril attacking Andor is not necessarily at odds with his realization he is on the wrong side. All too human for him to be overcome with rage at the person who catalyzed him being complicit in an atrocity.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

I don't think Dedra survives the series. Either she confronts Krennic and he has her eliminated. I think the whole "she is assigned to the Death Star and dies there" is just silly. She will not die off-screen when she dies. And the same for Luthen. We will see his death when it happens.

 

[Reef]

Syril attacking Andor is not necessarily at odds with his realization he is on the wrong side. All too human for him to be overcome with rage at the person who catalyzed him being complicit in an atrocity.

True, but I suspect that seeing Andor shortcircuited his moment of clarity. I think it went from “what have I done?” to “You! It’s all your doing!”. Andor has been his bête-noir from the start, and he was lead to believe his job here was to root out outside agitators. And suddenly, he sees one. We’ll obviously never know if he could have overcome that.